Lady Broncos fall to NWC in non-league games, strive for improvement

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos began the spring season with two losses in a doubleheader against Northwest Christian (NWC) on Thursday, March 16, in Ritzville. Head Coach Todd O’Brien said despite the losses, he is proud with how the team competed in the games and he looks forward to a successful season.

At the start of the first game, O’Brien said they expected NWC to be a tough team as they were league champions and their roster consists of 2016 League MVP pitcher Mattea Nelson. He said the Lady Broncos knew they would need to have quick hands at the plate in order to match Nelson’s speed.

The Lady Broncos played strong defense in the first two innings of the game, being quick to make plays as Emma Aldrich threw consistent strikes on the mound. Lacey Miller dove to catch multiple foul balls behind the plate and remained quick to assist in plays.

O’Brien said Miller’s aggression and confidence as a catcher continues to impress him and stated she is an essential asset to the team on defense.

The team proved to have trouble hitting Nelson’s fast pitches as she held the Lady Broncos to three hits in six innings.

O’Brien said although the team did not have many hits, they displayed determination to make contact with the ball. Emily Rosen hit two singles, while Alarah Pierce-Pulliam, Emily Kinney and Emma Aldrich each had one. Kaylee Pavone hit a double.

When competing against an elite pitcher, O’Brien said the Lady Broncos needed to take the opportunity to hit the ball when the pitch is close to the strike zone. Nelson continued to have fast pitches and consistently struck out the Lady Broncos, reducing their chances of narrowing the score gap.

The LRS team remained strong on defense and went into the fifth inning behind 0-4 to NWC. O’Brien said the Lady Broncos began to make mental errors and simple mistakes, allowing NWC to score runs. Once NWC started scoring, O’Brien said the Lady Broncos were anxious on defense and missed some crucial ground balls.

The team continued to struggle to make the third out as NWC pulled further ahead going into the final inning. O’Brien said the team needed to focus on making the play rather than worry about the runners on base.

NWC claimed victory over the Lady Broncos 16-1 for the first game of the doubleheader. O’Brien said despite the loss, the team never gave up as they were determined to finish the games strong.

Going into the second game, he said the Lady Broncos recognized the mistakes they made at the plate in the first game and they strived to swing quicker and keep an eye on the ball.

After seeing Nelson’s pitches in the first game, the Lady Broncos began to be familiar with the speed and made contact with the ball in the second game to allow runners on base. Tessa O’Brien and Pierce-Pulliam had two hits, and Miller had one.

Along with hitting the ball, O’Brien said the team ran the bases well. He said the team consists of many fast athletes this year who are also instinctive on base.

Nelson continued to throw change ups and struck out LRS hitters before the base runners had a chance to score.

While on defense, he said the team continued to struggle to make the quick third out and allowed NWC to make runs and maintain the lead.

By the end of the fifth inning, NWC still had the lead and their strong defense prevented the Lady Broncos from running the bases. Although they were behind, O’Brien said the Lady Broncos finished the final two innings with confidence and were determined to make their opponents work hard to earn the win.

At the end of the seventh inning the Lady Broncos fell to NWC 1-11. The fact the team played all seven innings with NWC is an accomplishment due to the team’s reputation and league ranking, said O’Brien. If the two teams face each other again this season, he expects the score to be closer as the team’s hitting improves.

In practice this week, he said the team will focus on executing plays and making the third out quickly. With five days of practice this week, O’Brien said the team will also work on situational hitting and improving consistency in the field in practice.

For the new athletes, he will continue instructing them on the basic fundamentals of the game and learning positions.

The Lady Broncos go on the road to play Asotin on Saturday, March 25, and O’Brien said he is not sure what to expect, as they are new to the league.

The team returns home for a league match on Tuesday, March 28. O’Brien emphasized the importance of community members attending home games to showcase support for the athletes this season.